Possibilities Newsletter
May 2008
|
|
|
|
|
Hello from Bill O'Hanlon. You are receiving this newsletter because you have signed up for it. If for any reason, you don't want to continue receiving it (it comes out once a month), please use the unsubscribe button below.
This month I include my usual things: Cool resources you can use, a handout you are welcome to use and share with others, a thought-provoking quotation, and announcements. I also continue my reporting on the amazing benefits of exercise. As a former couch potato, this research has been a big part of what has kept me motivated to exercise regularly. I hope it has the same effect on you. We know that regular exercise can help prevent weight gain, cancer, diabetes and other chronic and deadly diseases, but it has additional effects in the areas of mood and cognitive functioning that make a compelling invitation into exercise-land. Until next month, yours in possibilities, Bill O'Hanlon, Santa Fe, New Mexico ( PossiBill@aol.com)
|
|
Cool Stuff
|
Bill's still on this research/exercise kick
|
 Inspirational book of the month:
A few months ago, I recommended a great book called The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge. Well, I have another one to recommend, with a slightly different emphasis, but just as exciting. It is called Spark, written by psychiatrist John Ratey. In this book, he gathers a lot of research that seems to indicate that our moods and cognitive functioning are intimately connected with getting regular movement/exercise. He presents some pretty compelling evidence showing exercise's positive effects on ADHD, kids learning and behavior in educational settings, and most compelling for those of us who are therapists or know people who suffer from serious depression, on mood disorders. I'll present some of this research below, but I recommend you buy the book yourself.
John Ratey's Spark book at Amazon.com
Quotation of the month: - "It is said that your life flashes before your eyes before you die. That is true, it's called Life." - Terry Pratchett
Research of the month: Better Than Prozac: Exercise helps relieve serious depression
From the SMILE (Standard Medical Intervention and Long-Term Exercise) study at Duke University:
Depressed people who exercised [supervised group exercise or at-home exercise] were just as likely to recover from major depression as people on Zoloft, but the exercisers were more likely to still not be depressed 2 years later than people on Zoloft or who took Zoloft in addition to exercising.
How much exercise matters: Every 50 minutes of exercise per week correlated to a 50% drop in depression levels.
Another study found that people who participated in moderately intense aerobics, such as exercising on a treadmill or stationary bicycle - whether it was for three or five days per week - experienced a decline in depressive symptoms by an average of 47% after 12 weeks. Those in the low-intensity exercise groups showed a 30% reduction in symptoms. Exercise also helped people who were unresponsive to medications.
A Purdue University study found that middle-aged runners who had been running 3-5 times/week for 3-10 years were markedly less depressed than a matched comparison group.
References: Blumenthal, James A. et al.,Exercise and Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Major Depressive
Disorder, Psychosomatic Medicine
69:587-596 (2007)
Trivedi, M.H., Greer, T.L., Grannemann, B.D., Chambliss, H.O.,
Jordan, A.N, "Exercise as an Augmentation Strategy for Treatment of
Major Depression." Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 12(4):205-13, 2006
Andrea L. Dunn, Madhukar H. Trivedi, James B. Kampert, Camillia G.
Clark and Heather O. Chambliss, "Exercise treatment for depression:
Efficacy and dose response," American Journal of Preventive
Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2005, Pages 1-8
Lobstein, D. et al., "Depression as a Powerful Discriminator
Between Physically Active and Sedentary Middle-Aged Men," Journal of
Psychosomatic Medicine, 27 (1983):69-76.
Contact: James Blumenthal, Ph.D., Professor of Medical Psychology at Duke University; Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center; Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology: Social and Health Sciences at Duke University
Email: blume003@mc.duke.edu
Website:http://psychiatry.mc.duke.edu/behcard/Research.html#smile
|
| Handout of the Month
|
Getting Yourself to Exercise Regularly
Bill O'Hanlon, www.billohanlon.com, PossiBill@aol.com
505.983.2843
[Feel free to copy and share this handout, but please leave my contact information on it. If you want to use it for any commercial (money-making) activity, contact me for specific permission.]
|
In line with the research of the month cited above, here is a handout for helping yourself or others develop the habit of regular exercise.
Everyone has a different process of finding the motivation to exercise. Here are some possibilities that have worked for others that you might be able to use or modify for yourself.
Discover and use your preferred or usual motivational strategy
There are typically two kinds of motivation:
1. Away from: Things you want to get away from, avoid or are concerned you will lose.
For example, one of my motivations to exercise is to get rid of the mid-life spare tire I developed during my years of couch potato behavior.
2. Toward: Things you want or yearn for.
Another of my motivations for exercising is that I have become convinced that regular vigorous exercise facilitates better learning by stimulating neuronal growth factor in the brain for the hours just after exercising. Since I highly value learning, this helps me stay motivated.
As you can see, you can have one or both motivations, but most people seem to have one dominant motivational strategy. If you can discover yours and link it to your exercise, it will most probably work better.
Find the right activities and settings
Some people like to exercise outdoors. Others like to be around others in a gym. Some like unisex settings (like fitness clubs just for women). I prefer running on a treadmill because I like to watch the numbers on how far I have gone and how long I have been exercising click by.
Classes and teachers can also make a major difference in keeping some motivated.
Also, it is important to find the exercise that works for you. Swimming, walking, running, weight training, flexibility training, yoga, Pilates, etc. all have different joys and challenges. If you are not sure which is for you, sample as many as possible before settling in on one or more.
The small steps/short sessions strategy
Start with something small to ensure you won't be too discouraged or overwhelmed. Moving for three minutes is better than not moving at all. Increasing the time or activities in small increments can make exercise more palatable and increase the odds you will stick with it.
The buddy method
Many studies have shown that some people are more likely to stick with exercise if they exercise with a friend or colleague. When one of you wants to flake out, the other can offer encouragement or motivation by obligation.
The solution-oriented method
How have you ever done anything difficult or challenging before? Or when and how have you ever developed another habit? Use some pieces from these previous experiences to draw upon to develop and maintain the habit of exercising.
The "no exceptions" rule
Some people do better when they make a rule they will exercise every day, without exception, no matter how they feel. When I began, I made this rule and it has served me well. On a few days, I had to miss exercising (when I was too ill or time really didn't allow), but because of that rule, I ended up exercising five or six days that week anyway.
"Re-grooving" the brain
From what I know about the new brain science, it takes about 40 days on average to "re-groove" the brain; that is, to get it out of its old habitual patterns and develop new neurological/physiological patterns. So, stick to it until, you develop a "positive addiction" (in the words of psychiatrist Bill Glasser) to exercise.
|
|
Upcoming New Boot Camps and Intensives in Santa Fe
|
Book Writing and Publishing Boot Camp; Santa Fe, NM
Get motivated to write a book, write it well and get it published
November 17-21, 2008
with Bill O'Hanlon
See details at http://www.getyourbookwritten.com/publishingcourse/SantaFe.html
Public Speaker Book Camp
January 12-16, 2009
Small group coaching for becoming a paid speaker, delivering compelling talks and workshops and getting on the speaking circuit in Santa Fe
with Bill O'Hanlon
|
For details, visit:
http://www.billohanlon.com/events/intensives/presentersbootcamp/billohanlon.html
February 16-20, 2009
Internet and Computer Boot Camp
Using the Web for More Time, to Spread Your Message More Effectively and to Create Ongoing Sources of Passive Income; Santa Fe, NM
with Bill O'Hanlon and Ryan Nagy, aka "The Web Whisperers"
For details, visit:
http://www.thewebwhisperers.com
I usually offer each of these once a year and they often fill very quickly, so if you are interested, please act quickly to reserve your place.
|
Bill O'Hanlon Workshop Schedule
223 N. Guadalupe #278, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA; www.billohanlon.comInstructions for reading this itinerary: Under the month you will find the date(s) of each workshop, the title and location of the workshop. On the second line is the sponsor's name and contact information. If you are interested in attending a particular workshop, please contact the sponsor of that workshop for a brochure or to register. Thank you! May 2008
28-Slouching towards the 21st Century: Effective Use of the Internet for Authors (for technopeasants and non-geeks); Los Angeles, CAWriter's Digest/Book Expo America conference; Greg Hatfield, Greg.Hatfield@fwpubs.com, F+W Publications, 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 531-2690, Ext. 1393, www.fwpublications.com29-The Seven Ways People Change in Therapy and Life; Inclusive Therapy: A simple and powerful method of dissolving resistance in clients; Brief Therapy as a spiritual method; Seattle, WADan Barmettler, MA, Institute for Integral Development, P.O. Box 2172, Colorado Springs, CO 80901; www.usjt.com; iidevo@aol.comJune 2008
9/10-Positive Psychology: Practical Applications in Clinical Work; MONTERREY, MEXICOM.C. Mónica González, Cuerpo Académico en Psicología Social, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; monygzz77@yahoo.com; http://www.monica-gonzalez.com/; download brochure at: http://www.monica-gonzalez.com/WEB%20workshopO'Hanlon.pdf; Tel. (81) 8333 8233 ext. 120; Mutualismo 110, Col. Mitras Centro, C.P. 64460, Monterrey, N.L., México 18-22-Hypnosis Small Group Intensive; Truchas, NM [filled; no space available]Carol Kennedy, carol_kennedy@ml.com August 2008
11-15-Positive Psychology in Clinical Work; Cape Cod, MA
New England Educational Institute, NEEI, http://www.neei.org
18-24-The Possibilities Process: Breakthrough to new places in your life [Filled; watch for new dates]; Truchas, NM
Possibilities, 505.983.2843, PossiBill@aol.comSeptember 2008
5-The Science of Happiness; San Diego, CA (American Psychotherapy Association Annual Conference)American Psychotherapy Association, 2750 E Sunshine, Springfield, MO 68504, 800-423-9737, conference@americanpsychotherapy.com; www.americanpsychotherapy.com12-Resolving Trauma Without Drama; St. Louis, MOBill Bumberry, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, 615 S. New Ballas Rd., St. Louis, MO 63141, billbumberry@charter.net26-28-Metaphors Be With You: Using Stories, Rituals, Analogies and Other Metaphorical Interventions in Changework; Whalley UKFran Burgess, Director of Training, Northern School of NLP, Whalley, ENGLAND; admin@nlpand.co.uk; www.nlpand.co.uk30/October 1-Topic to be arranged; Copenhagen, DENMARKHenrik Vesterhauge-Petersen, SOLUTION, www.solutionfocus.dk, tel +45 45874035, solution@solutionfocus.dkOctober 2008
3-Topic to be arranged; Ostersund, SWEDENMarie Forneman, marie.forneman@jll.se 10-12-Positive Psychology: Practical Applications in Clinical Work; Santa Fe, NMNew England Educational Institute, NEEI, http://www.neei.org
27/28-Reel Love: Couples issues Through the Lens of the Movies; Toronto, ONT., CANADAMichael Kerman, Leading Edge Seminars, 88 Major St., Toronto, Ont, Canada M5S2L1; 416-964-1133; info@leadingedgeseminars.org; www.leadingedgeseminars.org
November 2008
8-Reel Love: Couples issues Through the Lens of the Movies; Albuquerque, NM
Jim Zacharias, NMAMFT, jzacharias1@gmail.com
13-Keeping Your Soul Alive (Keynote); Resolving Trauma Without Drama (3 hour presentation); Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Jack Hirose and Associates Inc., 1770 Orkney Place, North
Vancouver, BC, Canada V7H 2Z1; 604.924.0296; 1.800.456.5424; fax
604.924.0239
jackhirose@shaw.ca; www.jackhirose.com
17-21-Book Writing and Publishing Boot Camp; Santa Fe, NM
Possibilities, 505.983.2843, PossiBill@aol.com; see details at http://www.getyourbookwritten.com/publishingcourse/SantaFe.html
December 2008
8-10-Ericksonian Hypnosis (3-day intensive); Hilton Head, SC
11-Short session - Better Than Prozac: Translating the New Brain Science into Greater Clinical Results; Lunch session: How to Get More Time in Your Personal and Professional Life: The Promise of the 20-hour Workweek; Hilton Head, SC
The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine,
6D Ledgebrook Dr., P.O. Box 523, Mansfield Center, CT 06250, 800.743.2226; 860.456.1153; fax 860.423.4512; www.nicabm.com
13-Panel: Person of the Therapist: (w/Ken Hardy, John Norcross &
Michele Weiner-Davis); Panel: Brief Therapy for Depression (w/
Christine Padesky; Janis Abrahms Spring & Michael Yapko); Clinical
Demonstration: Inclusive Therapy; 2008 Brief Therapy Conference; San
Diego, CA
14-Inclusive Therapy: A Simple and Powerful Method of Dissolving
Resistance Derived from Permissive Hypnosis and Eastern Religion;
Change 101: The Seven Ways Change Occurs in Therapy and Life; 2008
Brief Therapy Conference; San Diego, CA
The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, 3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016, 602-944-6529, www.brieftherapyconference.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
